Archive for the ‘Ford Phaeton’ tag

It could be rightfully said that the sale of the late Lee Roy Hartung Collection was one of the highly anticipated auction events of the Fall. And for good reason: The scope of what lay strewn about Hartung’s estate in Glenview, Illinois, was not fully realized until the staff of Auctions America by RM – the Auburn, Indiana-based company tasked with the sifting, arranging and selling of Hartung’s museum – had begun the monumental effort. Word quickly spread of the mountains of automotive parts; everything from spark plugs to NOS connecting rods to fenders and wheels; rare and highly desirable motorcycles; an armada of Ford Model A’s; petroleum memorabilia; dealer literature; bicycles; and an odd arrangement of home furnishings. Even kids’ toys were unearthed. The list was seemingly endless. In all, just shy of 1,600 individual lots.

With regard to complete two- and four-wheeled vehicles – meaning most, if not all, of the parts were still in place – all would require some form of mechanical restoration, and a good chunk of those desperately needed a complete stem-to-stern, ground-up restoration. No matter, as Auctions America officials reported that bidders from nine countries and 46 states descended upon Glenview for the three-day sale, held this past weekend.

Sticking with the topic of completed vehicles, a grand total of 75 automobiles had their moment under the stage lights, 58 of which found new locations for less than $10,000. Topping the four-wheeled chart, however, was Lot 7549 – a Spohn-bodied 1950 Veritas BMW that fetched $195,000, which was also good enough for second on the overall top 10 list for the weekend. Second was the car pictured above: the 1950 Edwards R-26 Roadster at $143,750; the Edwards placed third on the overall top 10 (it turns out that these were the only two cars to make the overall top 10). Rounding out the top 10 among the offered automobiles, including a tie for 10th:

The sale average, by way of comparison, among automobiles was $11,426.

1950 Bentley Saloon

A total of 48 motorcycle lots crossed the block (several lots were multi-bike sales), the top sale going to an exceptionally rare, twin belt drive 1911 Flying Merkel (Lot 6483) at $201,250; it also fetched top sale of the weekend.

1911 Flying Merkel

Coming in second among the two-wheeled category was Lot 6489, a 1912 Harley-Davidson at $115,000; it was followed by Lot 6485, a 1911 Pope Model H hammered home at $83,375. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 motorcycles:

A total of 23 motorcycle lots sold for less than $10,000, dropping that group’s average sale price to $28,878.

To give you an idea of how low bidders were willing to go, Lot 7501 – a 1959 Edsel Ranger that was more of a parts car than restoration project – sold for just $230, while Lot 6456 – a 1979 Yamaha XS Eleven Special – gaveled for just two C-notes and a buck; considerably less than the $29,900 spent on a run of Arizona license plates.

According to Auctions America president Donnie Gould,

“We were honored to have been entrusted with the sale of the famed Lee Roy Hartung Collection and are very pleased with the results. The sale was a terrific celebration of one man’s drive to collect and preserve American history. Collectors recognized the range of rare ownership opportunities the sale presented, as was reflected in the strong attendance and results. In addition to the automobiles, vintage motorcycles were a major component and focus of the collection. The prices realized for the examples on offer confirms the continued strength of the collectible motorcycle market.”

Want to see more results, including the parts lots? We suggest you pour yourself an enjoyable beverage and check out the complete list here. Future Auctions America sales can be found here.